I was recently in hospital after needing to have surgery. I wasn't able to eat for over three days. I had to fast, until surgery. I couldn't even have a glass of water.

I'd never felt like this before, under so much stress and pressure, just wanting to eat something.

When I got an egg sandwich, it was an experience, I'd never had before. I could describe it as heavenly.

"Hunger and malnutrition are self-perpetuating. They sap a person’s energy, strangling mental ability, exacting a price on health and making it more difficult to learn, work and lead productive lives. This is one of the most sobering facts about hunger; it steals life from the vulnerable."

https://www.compassion.com/poverty/hunger.htm

What do people think about this issue? Why is there a lack of concern shown by some people?

Dear Nathan,

You ask why is there limited compassion for those without
food? There's limited compassion for those in poverty.
And for that -
there's probably a variety of reasons, depending on our
values and the way we view things. We tend to judge
other people. There are people who believe
that the poor are in poverty because they prefer to live on
"handouts." Others feel that everyone has the same chance to
get ahead. If those who get ahead can claim credit for their
success, then those who fall behind must, logically, be
blamed for their failures. The poor are therefore supposed
to need incentives to work, rather than help at the expense
of the taxpayer.

With feelings of compassion and empathy what matters most is our
own values and our choices. Empathy may be limited sometimes, but
only if we want it to be that way.

To NathanJ. I think you've been given a real eye opener with regard to hunger. In most people that I see a lack of compassion, I think there's an issue of not knowing how bad it is. Not experienced it for themselves. We can come up with all kinds of excuses and reasons why to support or not support the things do or don't support. But if you know how bad it is to be hungry, then you can't take that away from yourself.

One other issue that I hear is that people don't want to give to the poor because it's assumed that the money will be spent on alochol or on drugs. So instead they do nothing. But on the other hand if you know how bad hunger can be, you won't let that stand in the way. There are other solutions.

Thanks for sharing your concern and for putting a spotlight on hunger.

//There are other solutions.//

Yeah, you can tithe your money to a church, let those fatcats take their cut before they 'generously' pass on a few dimes to the poor.

Or you could give directly.

http://givedirectly.org/

Hi there Toni LAVIS...

I read of that Site you kindly sent us all, as a way to send money 'directly' to the hungry, in order to remove the temptation of the Churches from getting their hands on the contributions? A most laudable concept for sure, and I do understand a small percentage of the funds raised, for administrative purposes, must also be set aside.

Nevertheless I've always been suspicious of 'all fund raisers', so I suspect they're all tarred with the same brush, you just have to take a punt and hope for the best? Am I right, or have you had some personal experience with these people? Any help or advise you may have with this group would be of some considerable assistance. Thanks Toni.

To Toni Lavis. There are other solutions n then giving money if the concern is what the person will spend it on. If a person has the time and the ability, giving food instead of money to someone begging for food is an option. For those who don't have that time to have extra food on hand and to distribute it to those they see on the street, another option is gift cards. About as much as a person would donate (whatever they are comfortable with) possibly a gift card to a cheep restruant (like a fast food chain) or a gift card to a local grocery store.

There are other solutions regardless of the excuses people might have to not have compassion on those hungry on the street.